A generous incentive scheme to encourage the unemployed, international students and backpackers to relocate to regional areas for harvest work has attracted less than 150 applicants.
The slow take-up of the offer has prompted the Federal Government to launch an online advertising blitz.
Under an assistance package announced in the October budget, all people who are at least 18 years of age and eligible to do harvest work in Australia, including all job seekers in employment service programs, and Australians not on income support (such as grey nomads and domestic students), are eligible to claim a reimbursement of up to $6000 when they relocate to take up short-term agricultural work including harvest work.
People who have a right to work in Australia (including Working Holiday Makers and international students) are eligible to claim a reimbursement of up to $2000 when they take up short-term agricultural work including harvest work placement through a Harvest Trail Services provider.
The payments are on top of what the workers can earn on-farm and are designed to fill peak labour demand during the harvest period.
There are hundreds of jobs available in the Goulburn Valley through the Australian Government’s Harvest Trail website that have not been filled.
A National Harvest Virtual Jobs Fair hosted last month only attracted enough people to fill 10 per cent of the jobs on offer.